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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Sandoval		DATE TYPED:	2/26/03		HB	884
SHORT TITLE:		Low-Income Community-Based Projects				SB
					ANALYST:		L. Baca

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	$100.0			Recurring	GF

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation for the University of New Mexico in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Responses Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 884 appropriates $100.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico for the School of Architecture and Planning to expand and enhance its community service mission to work on community-based projects for low-income communities, groups and non-profit organizations.

Significant Issues

The CHE reports that:

The School of Architecture and Planning has the Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC). The Center is a community service organization, that provides, on a project by project basis, environmental research, landscaping, planning and architectural design assistance to low income communities, groups and nonprofit community organizations in New Mexico and elsewhere in the Southwest. Students obtain studio credit for the work they perform in this DPAC in addition to valuable experience. Additional funding to DPAC would allow for more long term projects to be done. In addition, it would help facilitate partnering and collaboration with other organizations and departments such as Public Health.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

A request was not included in the University of New Mexico’s budget request to the University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents, and thus was not included in the list of priority projects submitted by the University of New Mexico to the Commission on Higher Education for review.

AMENDMENTS

The CHE suggests adding the following language for all new recurring higher education programs (assuming that funding will continue beyond 2003-2004):

“A plan for a program evaluation, including specific program goals and criteria for assessing program effectiveness, shall be submitted to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education by October 1, 2004. An assessment of the program will be completed prior to June 30, 2005, and submitted to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education.”

LRB/njw